Wenger’s refusal to sell Theo Walcott illustrates his tragic flaw
If Arenal manager Arsene Wenger won’t sell Theo Walcott to West Ham for 26 million pounds, he’s lost the plot
Arsene Wenger’s inability to push Arsenal to a Premier League title this season has spawned lots of theories as to why he can’t get his club over the hump. His recent refusal to sell Theo Walcott to West Ham for the incredible sum of 26 million pounds, illustrates his tragic flaw perfectly.
That flaw is that he doesn’t know when the time is right to move on. Call it sentimentality or just plain stubbornness, but it prohibits Arsenal from being a nimble club. That refusal to change and shift in a timely fashion, is what prevents Arsenal from fulfilling their full potential.
When asked about the possibility of selling Walcott this summer, Wenger remarked that the believes he’ll get more out of the English attacker in the next five seasons, than he has in the prior five. Making that sort of comment about a 27-year-old attacker who relies heavily on pace doesn’t seem like the judgment of an objective man to me. Instead, it sounds like loyalty to a player who’s been at the club for a decade getting in the way of objective analysis.
The facts clearly illustrate that Walcott has been a complete disaster this season. He’s only managed to contribute four goals in 22 Premier League appearances for the Gunners this season. Add the fact that he’s only managed to muster a Whoscored.com player rating of 6.67 in that same time frame and you see that he’s struggled mightily.
Don’t be fooled by Walcott’s presence in the England squad. That amounts to a wasteful selection by England manager Roy Hodgson. He’s been a below-average Premier League player this season by any definition.
Given that fact, how can you possibly say you wouldn’t sell him with rumors of a 26 million pound offer swirling around? Only someone blinded by love for a particular player would refuse that sort of offer. I suppose in some ways that makes Wenger admirable to some Arsenal fans, but it limits the club’s ability to compete for a Premier League title.
Of course this isn’t the first time Wenger has let his dedication to a player prevent Arsenal from making a necessary change. How else could you explain Olivier Giroud continuing to be the club’s first-choice striker? Any manager in their right mind would have purchased a world-class number nine to maximize the effectiveness of Arsenal’s attacking midfield. It’s almost a travesty to saddle the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil with such a weak cadre of strikers.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may be the last of a dying breed. While that has its antiquated charms, there’s a reason that his breed is almost extinct. They’ve died out because managers like Wenger have prioritized loyalty over ruthless aggression. It causes them to lose out on too many trophies.